All Ears Audiobooks discussion

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa

This book is a compilation of writings by Mother Theresa through out her life, but focusing on the creation of her order and their work in Calcutta. Compiled by Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C. and commented on through out by him, the focus of the book is the inner darkness experienced by Mother while still carrying out her amazing work in the slums. Much of Father Brian's commentary is aimed at making a case for her canonization, but still it's historical background is interesting.

This was a fascinating look at a determined and amazing woman who truly wanted to do nothing but follow God's will.

Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Barbara Bradley Hagerty, religion correspondent for NPR and admitted Christian, sets of on a journey to see what the scientific community has to say about God. What she ends up with is an interesting meander through the science and pseudo-science of tracking the behavior of people who have had life changing religious experiences. What I liked the most about her book is her honest appraisal of what her findings did to and for her own spiritual conclusions.

Basically this is a fun but not to serious look at how science and religion intersect.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Wow. I loved this book. I am one of the few who was not enamored by "The Kite Runner" so I wasn't sure what to expect. I put off listening/reading this because I just wasn't sure if i'd like it after my disappointment with Kite Runner.

Hosseini perfectly captures the desperation of the two women, Mariam and Laila, both trapped in a marriage to a cruelly abusive husband. The background of Afghanistan's many social upheavals provides not only a history lesson, but a perfect commentary on the bleakness of the women's situation.

I actually cried at points listening to this book - something i rarely do, but the emotions in the is book are so raw and so on the surface that it is hard not to.

One of the top books I've read this year.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Another amazing read. I read this one instead of listening to it - downed the first half in two sittings, finished up the rest over three evenings. Couldn't read it fast enough... loved it. However, it is in audio, and i would imagine it's a good listen.

Donoghue's tale of a young woman taken captive and held against her will as a sexual slave, is compelling and timely, but even more so since it is told through the eyes of the woman's 5 year old son, born to her two years into her captivity. The story of how these two cope with a life turned upside down is compelling and beautiful.

The women's service organization i belong to has been doing a lot of work on trying to stop human trafficking and sexual slavery so i've done a bit of research on the effects and recovery of those in these situations. What both Jack and his mother experience rings true to the research I've seen. Donoghue has done her homework on this one - it's well written.

Fool by Christopher Moore

and now for something completely different....

Bawdy. Naughty. And of course there's a ghost. A giant named Drool, a puppet named Jones, and a fool named Pocket. Only Christopher Moore would take King Lear and tell it from fool's view point. And of course because it's told by Moore, there's shagging and bawdy humor galore. I liked this better than Coyote Blue, maybe as much as Fluke but not as much as Lamb. I haven't read his vampire books and probably won't - no interest in the little bloodsuckers...

Anyway a really fun listen, especially if you're a fan of the Bard's King Lear.

Nineteen Minutes
One of the books I've had on my 'to listen' list is Jodi Piccoult's Nineteen Minutes. People have told me that they loved it and one person even called it a 'must read' for anyone with teen age children. Well my son just turned 13, so I thought it was time to plug it in. In Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult tackles the difficult issue of a high school boy, bullied since kindergarten, who finally cracks resulting in a Columbine-like shooting spree. The narration of this story often changes so that the reader gets to hear the story from many different points of view, including the shooter Peter, his mother, other kids, and even a police officer responsible for the case. As with many of Picoult's novels, the issues are difficult and not black and white. Peter, sweet and sensitive, is different enough that even in elementary school, he becomes the target of pranks and bullying. Although nothing could justify a 19 minute spree of violence, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and his family. What was really eye-opening for me was the descriptions of life in high school. Could it possibly be that bad? It made me realize that kids in high school today experience stress - not just due to the pressure of getting into college, but just surviving that social jungle. I hope this book gave me enough insight to let up on my middle school son, and be grateful that he is ok.

The Book Thief on CD. The Narrator was exceptional. Makes all the difference to me. I can't listen to an audiotape with a poor narrator.

I just finished listening to "The Omen Machine" by Terry Goodkind. I wasn't so sure what to expect from this one after "Confessor" which seemed to bring the story of Richard and Kahlan to an end after 10 very long books. Then "Law of Nines" came out and opened a new crack in the story. Now we have "The Omen Machine" which seemed to ignore the story of "Law of Nines" altogether and put us right back where "Confessor" ended. Within a few sentences of the start of the book, Richard and Kahlan are thrust back into a war, but this time with an unseen and completely unknown adversary. All the respresentatives from all around have come to the Palace to witness the marriage of Kara and Ben and to celebrate the end of the war. But they have all also come wondering about the future and what it holds for them all. Fortune tellers the world around have been spreading word of a darkness coming,of horrific events to come in the future, leaving everyone nervous. So they have come to their leader, Lord Raul, to find out what prophecy has to say. A chain of terrifying events occur and the story is off and running. I hate giving away the gist of the story, so here is where I will leave off. I will say that if you have followed the story of Richard and Kahlan through all the other books, this one does not disappoint. I didn't want to stop listening when I had to and when I got to the end I couldn't believe that was it. I will now be anxiously awaiting the next book to find out where this new twist in the story goes. I hate waiting. :)

I just finished listening to Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us. It's a short book and has some of the same journalistic feel that NPR segments do, but I miss hearing the both parts of the interview. I can't recommend the audiobook, but it might be a decent read. Flora Lichtman's book narration voice is way too fast, unlike when she's on Science Friday. The book was interesting, but very disjointed. It jumped around too much, and though the subjects were fun, I wish it spent more time on certain areas. It would have been better if it was more organized and had a linear thread.

If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him...narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. I enjoyed the reading for the most part, but not so much the book. I am now listening to The Night Caller. The narration is excellent.

Listening to The Portrait. A delightful and compelling start . . . overall, the book was quite well done. The format--in which the bitter painter delivers a book-length monologue to his unfortunate "frenemy" critic--benefits from an audio reading.

Donna wrote: "Condoleezza Rice by Elisabeth Bumiller

"History is made by those who show up." - Prime Minister Ben..."
Hi Donna,

I just saw Condoleeza Rice at a local speaker series. I didn't think I would enjoy listening to her, but she is intelligent, witty, informed, and spoke for 90 minutes flawlessly, without notes. One of the questions she answered was about the negative mention in Cheney's biography regarding her role with Korea. She responded that she was coming out with her own story in November... So stay tuned!

I've been on a Victorian Anthony Trollope kick recently and have finished reading/listening to his Barchester Chronicles and his standalone novel The Way We Live Now. For some of these lengthy classics I find that I get the most out of the books if I intersperse reading and listening. The Barchester Chronicles is 6 pretty lengthy books, or 119 hours in audio (!!), which seems daunting but was refreshing and very enjoyable. I listened to the Simon Vance versions and by the last book, I had fallen in love with the series. Each book has the typical Victorian plot of 'boy and girl fall in love but can't get married because of class/money/scandal' but surrounding each of the stories is the fictitious Cathedral town of Barchester and the role the clergy played in everyday lives. Completely charming!

I just realized I'm 9 books behind in my reviews! Hm... time to get started! So, I'll start with
Dracula by Bram Stoker

I dislike horror movies, am not interested in Twilight (and no, you can't talk me into it) and the last vampire I liked was Barnabas Collins... who was EMO before it was even a word :) And yes I'm dating myself with the reference to Dark Shadows.

Regardless, I tackled Dracula because it's a classic and I always remember Mark Twain's quote that "a classic is a book that everyone praises and no one has read." I was very surprised...

First let me dispell a couple myths. Dracula is NOT about a Vampire. It is about a group of people who set out to destroy a vampire. Dracula himself actually gets very little air time (okay so the pun's intended) and is mostly talked about in the third person.

Van Helsing looks nothing like Hugh Jackman. At least not the current version of Jackman. Maybe when Jackman's aged another 25-30 years... but probably not. Now I'm the very first to admit that I'd rather look at Hugh Jackman for 2 hours than the description of Van Helsing, but I also noticed that in a BBC production of Dracula, David Suchet (also plays Poirot on Masterpiece Mystery) portrayed Van Helsing and that's much closer to the book's description (even though the movie is way off base otherwise). And while Suchet doesn't make my heart beat faster at least he's not hard to look at.

Which actually brings me to my next point... never believe what you have heard about any classic, but particularly ones like Dracula, Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde. What you think you know about the original stories is patently false - you have to read the originals to get the scoop.

I totally enjoyed this story! It was unexpected - parts were creepy, but parts were also laugh aloud funny - such as the good Dr Van Helsing trying to decipher what the British sailor was saying to him "Bloody hell... etc". Miss Mina was a very clever lady and I enjoyed her very much.

All in all a great creepy classic.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Gritty. Difficult to listen to. Spell binding. Gut wrenching. Depressing. And then suddenly amazing. Jubilant. Giving. Life transforming. Forgiving.

This true story of Louis Zamperini is one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard, and quite honestly it really made an impact on me. Louis' adventures in the POW camps are very difficult to listen to - even worse than the descriptions I've listened to of the European camps. But when he arrives back in the US and what happens to him after is incredible and moving.

Well worth your time. Definitely a top 10 for me.

Donna wrote: "I just realized I'm 9 books behind in my reviews! Hm... time to get started! So, I'll start with
Dracula by Bram Stoker

I dislike horror mov..."

Love your comments, Donna - especially about Hugh Jackman!

Donna wrote: "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by [author:Laura Hill..."

I agree - this is also one of my favorite audiobooks of the year. I also found the scenes in the Japanese prisoner camps very disturbing. I have to say that it really bothered me that war criminals like the Bird received amnesty. There are some crimes that need to be brought to trial just so we can feel that there is justice in our society. Don't you think that it's interesting that Nazi war criminals are still being tried - 60 years after the war and the Japanese war criminals received amnesty just 5 years later?

I just finished an excellent production of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters (L.A.Theatre Works Production, 2011). My review is posted at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... This was my first experience with L.A.Theatre Works, and I will definitely listen to other productions.

Just Finished "Marrying the mistress", a real "aga-saga", love and loss in Britain and it was an excellent joanna Trollope books.They don't really have happy endings but things seem to work out to everyone's more or less satisfaction. She creates upper Middle class English country life perfectly. In "marrying the Mistress" i think she did make the first wife rather badder than I would have liked but at least she did not compensate by making all the other characters extraordinaly holier than thou
The actual break up of the first marriage is not her prime focus but rather the split loyalties and family tensions arise when some characters want independance and others refuse to let go.
A well worthwhile listen and the particular edition I listened to had a soothing and plummy English reader. Her voice sketched the setting almost more than the characters. She was however an even and focused reader. Not once did my attention stray from her narrative, which is saying a great deal.

Minnie wrote: "Just Finished "Marrying the mistress", a real "aga-saga", love and loss in Britain and it was an excellent joanna Trollope books.They don't really have happy endings but things seem to work out to ..."

Nice review, Minnie! But, what is an "aga-saga"??

Probably my favorite genre is Historic Fiction and I've finished quite a few audio books that I really enjoyed in this category. My favorite was Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. I've enjoyed all of her books, but this is one of my favorites. The setting is the 1600s in Martha's Vineyard (one of my favorite places) and the story is about the son of a Wampanoag chief who is educated by the settlers on the island and becomes the first Native American to graduate from Harvard. Great book for a book club - good discussion points about how Americans have smothered other cultures in the effort to save and convert 'heathens'.

The next two are more of a mash up of Sci-Fi and Historic Fiction. The first is In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker. The premise behind this book is that in the future, mankind has discovered how to modify children to make them practically immortal. This technology is taken into the past to create agents for 'The Company' whose goal is to preserve culture by cataloging and documenting the past, as well as preserving rare items that will give The Company huge profits in the future. In this story, a Company Operative, Mendoza, is researching plants in Elizabethan England. The country is in turmoil with the marriage of Queen Mary to the Spanish (and Catholic) Price Philip. Excellent descriptions of the time period with some fun and light banter.

My last historical fiction novel is the first of the Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik. This book takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and England is fighting the French on land, on sea, and in the air ... with dragons. Although this book provides some insight to the Napoleonic Wars, it is more of an action/adventure type story. Very fun and narrated by Simon Vance. This one was good enough for me to pick up the sequel, Throne of Jade. Also a great one for teenagers who love action and will pick up a bit of history at the same time.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Minnie wrote: "Just Finished "Marrying the mistress", a real "aga-saga", love and loss in Britain and it was an excellent joanna Trollope books.They don't really have happy endings but things seem ..."

Its what they call Joanna Trollope's novels. An Aga is an English anthracite burning stove, found in well-to-do somewhat rustic houses. It is a beautiful cream colour and warms up a kitchen beautifully. I think the connection is that she writes about the English country side or rather, English Gentry and her stories are generally heart warming though not necessarily with happy endings, after-all its a messy business to keep an Aga going and clean. Ask me, I grew up with an Aga on a farm in South Africa

Minnie wrote: Its what they call Joanna Trollope's novels. An Aga is an English..."

Thanks, Minnie! I just love the global aspect of Goodreads. You learn something new every day!

Speaking of Aga's - check out this link!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Probably my favorite genre is Historic Fiction and I've finished quite a few audio books that I really enjoyed in this category. My favorite was Caleb's Crossing[bookcover:Caleb's C..."

I recently finished Caleb's Crossing too and also enjoyed it. The story is told from the perspective of Bethia Mayfield, a bright, willful woman who yearns for an education. The juxtaposition of her attempts to get that schooling and the relationship others in her life have with school makes for some interesting plot twists. I also very much liked Bethia - she's exactly the kind of woman I'd like for a friend.

So gotta brag here - Nov 12th Geraldine Brooks is going to be in Fort Collins to speak. I've had my tickets for weeks - can't wait! The focus will be on "March" which is our Read On! Fort Collins pick, but I'm sure there will be a chance to ask questions about her other books.

Donna wrote: "...So gotta brag here - Nov 12th Geraldine Brooks is going to be in Fort Collins to speak. I've had my tickets for weeks - can't wait! ..."

Wow... I'm turning green with envy... Have a great time, Donna. Wish I could be there!

Minnie wrote: "Julie at All Ears wrote: "Minnie wrote: "Just Finished "Marrying the mistress", a real "aga-saga", love and loss in Britain and it was an excellent joanna Trollope books.They don't really have happ..."
"Aga-saga" makes me think of Rosamund Pilcher's novels - have you read them?

I just listened to Adam: The Nightwalkers by Jacquelyn Frank and narrated by Xe Sands. Awesome! If you like this series you will LOVE this last book!

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

The human race is a funny thing. Some people can barely make it through an uneventful life with few challenges and others do everything possible to pit themselves against nature. Ernest Shackleton was one of the bold ones, pitting himself against the Antarctic seas at at time before GPS and reliable radio. His adventures attempting to explore the Antartic and then rescuing his men are still considered some of the most amazing feats ever.

Lansing's telling of Shackleton's tale is engrossing and at times wrenching to listen to. I was captivated by it.

An amazing true adventure story!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The tagline for this book is a 'Harry Potter for adults'. Well, there are definitely similarities. People with innate magical abilities are tested and have the option of going to Brakebills, a magical training academy instead of college. But Brakebills is no Hogwarts. The overall feeling of this book is much darker and innocent activities like drinking butter beer and 'snogging' have been replaced by much more adult and depraved behavior. And unlike Harry Potter, there isn't a clear battle of good vs. evil. Instead graduates from Brakebills have perfected their craft, but have no real purpose in life. Much of the criticism toward this book has been about the whiny behavior of the main character Quentin. But, although I agree - what a whiner! - Quentin's emotions were so authentic and make sense. Imagine mastering all these amazing magical skills and not having to work at a typical job to make a living. Life becomes trite and meaningless - Harry Potter meets Madame Bovary. But everything changes when Quentin and his Brakebills friends discover that the world of Fillory, the setting of a children's fantasy series, is a real place with real villains and a need for real heroes. Definitely a good story. Looking forward to the sequel.



View all my reviews

Loved both this book and the sequel. Quentin is still looking for the perfect life and the author continues to surprise. Wonderful audio books almost can't listen fast enough!

Doctor Who: The Hounds of Artemis & Eye of the Jungle: The New Adventures, Vol. 3 by James Goss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The 3-CD package includes two Doctor Who adventures written exclusively for audio. The stories both feature the Eleventh Doctor and his sidekick Amy Pond. In the first story, The Hounds of Artemis, the Doctor and Amy arrive in Smyrna, Turkey in 1929. Lord Woolcroft and his team of archaeologists have discovered the lost Tomb of Artemis and are just about to open the tomb. But wait! Something evil is lurking about and archaeologists seem to be disappearing one by one. Is it aliens? A wrathful goddess? Daleks in disguise? Only the Doctor can solve this one! This story is just over and hour, but is packed with excitement. It is narrated by Matt Smith – yes the Matt Smith who plays the Doctor on the BBC television series and Clare Corbett who reads entries out of Amy’s diary. Although having Corbett as co-narrator is not as spectacular as a performance by the actress from the TV series, Karen Gillan, it is still nice to have Amy’s point of view.



In the second story, The Eye of the Jungle, Amy and the Doctor are joined by Amy’s husband Rory. This episode takes the adventurous trio to the heart of the Amazon in the 1829. A British naturalist is collecting live animals from the jungle for the opening of the London Zoological Gardens. But as on every Doctor Who adventure, disaster abounds and villagers are disappearing. Is it a wild animal? Something creature in the jungle is hunting people down and the Doctor, Amy and Rory are in a race to find the answer before more people are taken.



This audio book is produced by BBC Audiobooks and is complete with all the bells and whistles of a BBC program. Both stories start out with a quick scene to give the listener a general feel for the setting and the potential danger. This is immediately followed by the theme music from the series. The stories are interspersed with sound effects that add to the feeling of danger about to jump out from every corner. Fast and fun, these stories are definitely entertaining. So grab your sonic screwdriver, plug in your ear buds and get ready for a wild ride.

I have just finished "Skippy dies", read by Patrick Moy and written by Paul Murray. I do not have sufficient superlatives to wax lyrical about this book. It was extremely well read, the various characters created by a slight speech impediment here or a grating tone that evoked memories of similar unpleasant people that have entered my hearing space. The headmaster, or rather the acting headmaster is an excellent vocal creation. I could see the spit fly every time he spoke.
The story was everything a good story should be, funny sad romantic and yes, disgusting and shocking. The minds of 14 year old boys are very very singleminded, it's preoccupied with sex. The interpretation of "the Road less Travelled" alone merits a read of this book.
This book made me think about many aspects of life, the value of truth, the "need" to cover up and adult perceptions versus the world of the child. It also provoked musings about what a good book is. Just prior to this book I had read another book, one that I enjoyed whilst reading it but once I thought about it I realized it was inadequate. A good book lingers and Skippy and his friends will stay with me, filling my mind at odd moment, as good books certainly do.

What It is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Definitely one of my favorite books of 2011. With brutal honesty, Marlantes describes his combat experience in Vietnam. The book is a combination of riveting stories from his years as an officer and a well thought out analysis of society and the role that war has played in our past and present. It is clear that as much we prepare our soldiers for the tactical skills needed to fight or handle weapons, we don't prepare them emotionally or spiritually to handle the horrors of war. And even sadder, we don't help them return back to a 'normal' civilian life. Absolutely amazing book that should by everyone.

The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Narrator: Carolyn McCormick
My rating: 5 stars
I purchased this book in Audio format on my Kindle by accident. I will be listening to it and will let you know how I felt about it. Most people who have read it have really really enjoyed it so I'm somewhat ambivalent about it. It is NOT my type of story and yet....
Oh dear, how the mighty have fallen!!!! I plugged those earphones in and listened and listened to the very end. The book is well read by Carolyn McCormick. She doesn't differentiate much between the characters vocally but I found it appropriate because young voices lack the variations of older voices.
Suzanne Collins creates one of the most believable young heroines I've come across in a long long time. Katniss is vulnerable and strong, she is secure with her bow and arrow but confused about people. She is unsure of her heart and twirls like a child -which she is - in her pretty new dress. She experiences a wide range of jumbled emotions which makes her endearing to me and I think believable to the young adult audience for which this book was written. I most certainly created an engrossed inner child while listening to this book and will most certainly listen to the next two books(less)

Julie at All Ears wrote: "If you are looking for a book that you will haunt you for years to come, then try Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. This book is set in the UK about a futuristic society, with very interesting val..."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so that I discussed it in my book club. It is a well thought out intriguing book and although it is futuristic it deals with emotions and situations we all can identify with. Without getting sentimental, Ishiguro maps out the human condition with a deft writing style and actually a very basic love story. I agree with you Julie it is an amazing book

Minnie wrote: "The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Narrator: Carolyn McCormick
My rating: 5 stars
I purchased this book in Audio format on my Kindle by accident. I will be listening to it and will let you kn..."
So glad you enjoyed the book - it's one of those rare titles that appeals to people of all ages. I felt the same way about Emma Donoghue's Room. The topic in the book seemed way too sensationalist or voyeuristic. I didn't think I would enjoy it. Maybe because it's told through the eyes of a child, it didn't feel that way at all. I ended up really liking it.

The Hunger Games Book 2. I give it 4 Stars

Once again i was riveted. I was somewhat nervous as to how the new Hunger games would come about but the author deftly managed to give a excellent spin on an old idea. It however remains a transitional book, between the first and final book, hence a little less satisfying on its own. It does set the scene for the third and final book extremely well in that some threads are left dangling and others are neatly tucked away.

Minnie wrote: "The Hunger Games Book 2. I give it 4 Stars

Once again i was riveted. I was somewhat nervous as to how the new Hunger games would come about but the author deftly managed to give a excellent spin o..."
Sounds like you'll be reading Mockingjay soon. Enjoy!

Shadow and Bone. Author Leigh Burdago 5 stars
This was an excellent listen, read by Lauren Fortang, an actress more than capable of creating atmosphere and evoking characters with enviable ease.
I have to confess, I'm a little perturbed by my sudden foray into YA literature. I did not read Harry Potter (hated boarding school too much!) nor did I read the vampire diaries (Twinkling vampires? You MUST be kidding!) but ever since The Hunger Games, I've read and read in this genre and have only been seriously disappointed in one book. The answer is , I think that the stories are fairly straightforward and somehow innocent. I can't remember when last I read another story with such untarnished love in them. OK usually there is a misunderstanding and a separation but in the end love triumphs. The conclusion of The Hunger Games I found so so seriously good, not mere romantic schmaltz.
Shadow and Bone did not disappoint either. A fairly straightforward story, a believable romance and a strong heroine. In all the books I've read none of the heroines really need saving, they do that for themselves. Yet they are still young and emotionally confused. I found the love triangle well motivated as well as Alina's breaking out of it. Burdago has the ability to recreate interesting inner worlds and a believable thought pattern. When Alina reaches life changing conclusions they are believable if a little startling.
I also enjoyed the conclusion of this book. It ended with most strings neatly tied but enough of a cliffhanger to make me look forward to the next book.

Alas, Babylon. Author: Pat Frank. Actor: Will Paton 4 Stars

This book was first published in 1959 and its most notable aspect is its optimism and confidence in the basic goodness of man.
I could not help but compare it to Lord of the Flies, (Golding) published in 1954 as well as to The Road (McCarthy) published in 2007. Lord of the Flies portrays even the innocent, i.e. children are effectively doomed to regressing into violence, when societal structures are removed by war. The Road is a bleak world in which man eats man. It is also disturbing in that it offers no solution to individual or social ills, it contemplates what it means to witness what remains after man has effectively destroyed himself and all his creations.
The final words in Alas, Babylon are, "He turned away to face the thousand year night." Yet from what has gone before, the social structures that have survived, the triumph of good over bad, makes one believe that even this night will not be that dark. There is light and it comes from good people who pull together and survive the worst of times.
Will Paton was an excellent reader. He captured the various tones of the Southern accent perfectly without any need to resort to caricature.
Gentle Reader, this is a good listen. At first I felt it only deserve 3 stars but in all honesty, I believe the actor who read this book elevated this one to a 4 star experience.

Minnie wrote: "Alas, Babylon. Author: Pat Frank. Actor: Will Paton 4 Stars

This book was first published in 1959 and its most notable aspect is its optimism and confidence in the basic goodness of man.
I could ..."
Wow, Minnie! What an amazing review. Sounds like an upbeat book with a good dose of promise and optimism. Your great review has added it to my list!

The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Author Garth Stein.
Actor Christopher Evan Wench
Rating 5 Stars

This was an excellent book, made more so by the wonderful voice actor Christopher Evan Welch
Some books I find beg to be audio books and I believe this was one of those. The fact that the dog is given a voice emphasizes his "humanity" in a way that a read book could not have done. And what a voice, gentle mellow and wise. Yet when called upon to be essentially "dog" Christopher Evan Welch rises to the occasion.
The story is also rare in that it has tremendous appeal for both men and women. there is enough "touchy-feely" stuff to make a grown man blush and enough testosterone driven car stuff to make a woman wish for a winning lap around the Gilles Villeneuve racing course in Canada.
The book had the potential to be a real tearjerker but Garth Stein is too competent a writer to fall down this slippery slope. The book covers a range of emotions but never gets mired in them. It covers a range of topics and is never preachy.
Gentle Reader, do yourself the honor of living the life of Enzo, Zoë, Denny and Eve. It will be time well spent in a believable universe where a dog is really as wise and loving as we would like to be.

Unseen
Author Karin Slaughter
Actor Penelope Lawrence
Rating 1 Star


Some books do NOT benefit from being audio books and this most certainly is one of them. Mz Slaughter went on endless side roads that served no purpose. All that useless emoting made me want to smack some of the characters and firmly admonish them, "Dear I know your life is in the doldrums, but for goodness' sake Get ON with it!"
Knowing how Will Trent makes coffee does not illuminate his character nor does it drive the story! I had a feeling that Mz Slaughter was given a word limit and come hell or high water she would achieve the required number of words, even if it meant that her listeners/readers would end up bored out of their minds.
I was so frustrated by the long winded and wordy novel that in the end the denouement came as a relief rather than an expert tying up of loose ends.
If you have endless time and great patience, by all means read this book. I believe the natural inclination to skip over boring bits will make the reading a faster and more rewarding experience. However to listen to it, is too too boring for words.
Penelope Lawrence's accent was good enough but I disliked her recreation of masculine voices, it sounded forced.
So Gentle Listener, not a good listening experience and I fear it will be a less than adequate reading experience as well.